


In The Shadows of Silver

by Utena



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M, Mythology - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:40:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26062828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Utena/pseuds/Utena
Summary: The Fates play a game in order to teach Sesshomaru a lesson. A retelling of the abduction of Persephone.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome & Sesshoumaru, Higurashi Kagome/Sesshoumaru, InuYasha/Kikyou (InuYasha), Miroku/Sango (InuYasha)
Kudos: 59





	1. The Three Faces of Fate

**Author's Note:**

> I really was not planning on releasing this one at the moment, but I decided to go ahead and do so. If this seems a bit familiar, it may be due to the inspiration of one of my other fics - To Pluck A Rose. This one will take a far different route than To Pluck A Rose and may be shorter than it. It will depend highly upon my muse. She seems to be doing all of this.

**In The Shadows of Silver  
By Suseh  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**

**Prologue**

****  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
_“Tell me…. Sesshomaru…. have you someone to protect?”_  
  
“That arrogant brat!” Lachesis, Dispenser of Lots, spat angrily as she moved away from the viewing waters of the cauldron. Her child-like fingers reaching for the shining silver thread that was being weaved into the fabric of life and glared at the piece. Although she somewhat understood the young demon lord’s disdain for humanity, it still annoyed her that because his father loved one of them, that the boy would dare allow his own father – heavily wounded as he was – storm the palace in which his beloved had been currently in the throes of childbirth. It had been heartbreaking to watch her eldest sister cut the Inu no Taisho’s thread. The once shining piece of dark grey pulsed once before completely disappearing from her Clotho’s basket. Her heart ached knowing he would never know the son he had saved.  
  
Clotho, the Spinner of Thread, paused in her work to glance over at her younger sister. She could see the wheels in her head turning and knew the young girl was planning something. It was a rare event for any of them to seek vengeance against any of the mortal realm. They were meant to dish out threads and place the owners of these threads on the path. They were never meant to interfere unless the need arose, and it had become apparent that Lachesis was going to do so with or without any of them.  
  
“I see that look in your eyes and I know you are planning something, Sister,” Clotho stated as if they were discussing the weather outside of their cozy little home hidden near Olympus. “We should not interfere in that which we have no business to be.”  
  
Lachesis turned her silver eyes toward her older sister and reminded her, “We are the Fates. We are also the ones to call upon the Goddess Nemesis to bring retribution of those who fail us, but I have a better lesson for the young lording to learn.”  
  
Clotho sighed knowing it would be of no use to argue with Lachesis. She knew that once the child had something in her head, it would be done one way or another.  
  
Lachesis had tasted victory in her war of words with her sister, Clotho, and ordered, “I want a beautiful piece of thread to be created. A beautiful shade of bright pink.”  
  
Clotho paused and looked down at threads that she had made just a bit earlier and picked up one of the threads that matched Lachesis’s words. She held it up allowing her young sister to give it a look over.  
  
“What of this?” The Spinner inquired.  
  
“Yes!” Lachesis cried out happily and clapped her hands together.  
  
“But, Lachesis, I had planned this thread for the young boy of the Inu no Taisho’s. A young woman in the Village of Edo is set to give birth to a female child, who will one day bear the burden of being caretaker to the Shikon no Tama.”  
“Make another,” Lachesis demanded refusing to allow such a thread to be woven. “Take a sliver of the pink thread and weave it into a lighter shade.”  
  
“You play a deadly game,” Atropos, the carrier of the “ _Abhorred Shears_ ”, spoke finally taking in both of her sisters. Her wrinkled hand laid the shears back down on the table and returned her full attention to the discussion between her two youngest siblings.  
  
Lachesis shook her head. “No, I don’t. The young lord believes humans are below him and perhaps that is true. The demons that walk the planet were created by Gaia herself and so they have a connection to not only her but the planet itself. I am sure, in the eyes of the demons, humanity should be eliminated for their need for expansion and waste of the planet resources, but the Elder Gods placed them on this planet for a reason. A reason, I am sure, that time will only know the answer.” There was a pause as Lachesis, the one with child-like innocence, looked at her two sisters – Clotho, the one in the stages of young adult, and Atropos, the one in the last stages of life – and continued, “I can only surmise that the young demon lord’s disdain for humanity is due to the belief that his father set aside his mother, the lady Inu Kimi, for that of a human princess. What would the young lord do if his own fate were tied to one?”  
  
“I don’t understand what you are plotting,” Atropos was the first to voice, not only her concern but her confusion. “You are tying the thread to both brothers. This will only cause pain and chaos in its wake.”  
  
Lachesis sighed, “It is a chance I am willing to let play out.”  
  
Clotho took just a tiny piece of the bright pink thread and weaved it into the less bright pink one. She did not break the threads from each other, letting the colors to weave together. She could only hope that whatever Lachesis had in mind did not come back and bite them all for this.  
  
“It is done, Sister,” Clotho announced and placed the threads back in the basket. It would only be a matter of time before they would be weaved into the fabric.  
  
Drawing her attention back to the viewing waters of the cauldron, Lachesis’ lips up turned into a knowing smirk as her eyes watched the arrogant young lording make his way through the forests. _Soon, arrogant dog lord, soon_.

* * *

  
**Chapter End**


	2. The Abduction and Claiming of Kagome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as Kagome knelt to pick up the shiny object, something – or rather someone – caught her eye. Was that silver? She wondered but even before she could answer the thought, she is swept up in arms of steel. Her head turned toward her captor as her blue eyes widened in horror as they locked with heated amber.
> 
> Sesshomaru! Her mind screamed as she struggled against him.
> 
> But it would be of no use. She would find the youkai stronger than she. He bore her away from her camp and her friends weeping as they headed back toward the direction of the Western Lands and that of the House of Moon. The valley below heard her cries and the winds would carry them to her companion, all of whom were racing back to camp to see what the commotion was about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those wondering where all this is coming from and why I haven't started on To Find You Again's next chapter. Please, please blame my writing Muse. I have no idea where the hell she is getting all of this. >>

**In The Shadows of Silver  
By Suseh  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**

**Chapter One**

****  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Inu-tachi had decided that the delight of the beautiful Spring-like afternoon was enough for them to halt in their tracks and set up camp. Normally, Inuyasha would have pushed them fully in their quest to complete the shards, but even he – although begrudgingly – had to admit that the Spring-like afternoon called to him to stop and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding landscape.  
  
Part of him had not wanted to halt in their pursuit, rather he wanted them to push further especially since they would be nearing the lands belonging to his brother. He wanted to push through there and be out before Sesshomaru even took notice they had been there. His brother – _half_ -brother, mind you – had become tolerable since the destruction of the half-hanyou spider, Naraku. He no longer pursued Inuyasha over Tetsusaiga ever since he had achieved Supreme Conquest and had become far more powerful than their own late father, Touga, the Inu no Taisho.  
  
But something had been off lately about Sesshomaru. Inuyasha did not know what it was. He had been mulling over it in his head ever since their last encounter with him several weeks ago. His brother had acted _differently_ toward the group and even more so toward Kagome. _Why_ he did not know. It had been a puzzle that had been buzzing in the back of his head and thus worried him as they drew toward the Western Lands.  
  
Inuyasha shook his head from his thoughts and drew his gaze toward his group. Sango and Miroku were preparing for their afternoon stroll together. Inuyasha knew it would not be long before the two of them would announce their engagement. He was certain, by the glances between each other, that the relationship had become far more serious.  
  
Not so far away from the group, Shippo and Kagome had settled in the middle in an open area and were currently weaving together the flowers they had recently picked into crowns. For Inuyasha, it seemed like only yesterday when she freed him from his cursed sleep. Since then, she had become his best friend. At one point in time, he thought she would have been the one that would have helped him over the loss of Kikyo, but every time he looked at her all he could see was Kikyo. He knew she had loved him and continued to love him even after the endless betrayals she had witnessed.  
  
He did not know when or where the threads of that love ended. He could only surmise that it had been even before Sesshomaru and his pack joined them on their quest to destroy Naraku. He knew that she was tired of his constant need to remind her that Kikyo was much better, prettier, and more powerful than she ever hoped to be. He knew his words had stripped her of much of her confidence, but he had always believed Kikyo was much better than her incarnate.  
  
Sighing softly, Inuyasha jumped down from the branch, took one last look back, and noting that Kagome and Shippo were still in their little world, headed out to look for Kikyo.  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome glanced down proudly at the work in her hands. It had taken her several prototype crowns to finally make the perfect one. Once the piece had been admired, she lifted it and placed it on her head.  
  
“What do you think?” Kagome inquired poking the little kitsune youkai laying back on the grass.  
  
“Wow, mama!” Shippo exclaimed in awe at how his adoptive mother looked like a goddess. He could not help but admire the way the flowers they had picked had seamlessly encircled her head. “You look beautiful!”  
  
Kagome blushed. “Thank you, Shippo,” she said, glancing around she noticed the two of them were the only ones near the camp. She surmised that Sango and Miroku had slipped away for some time together and Inuyasha – he had probably gone in search of Kikyo. The late Miko had been resurrected at the beginning of their adventure and had since been a thorn in her side when it came to Inuyasha’s affections. Over time, she supposed, and most of it being Inuyasha’s undoing, she had lost any hope of winning his heart. She was content now to just be his friend and she wished him the best once the whole thing with Shikon no Tama was completed.  
  
Shippo’s yawn drew Kagome from her thoughts and she glanced over at the young kitsune with whom she had adopted as her son.  
  
“Why not return to the camp,” she said ruffling his hair, “and take a nap. I will wake you when it is time for dinner.”  
  
“Okay, Momma,” the little fox said rising to his feet and bounding away to the camp.  
  
Kagome rose to her feet and took one last look around the field. She, too, was planning on returning to the camp to prepare for the evening meal. She knew that the moment Inuyasha returned, he would be demanding his ramen and if it was not ready, then he would whine for the rest of the night.  
  
Heading toward camp, Kagome halted in her steps as something bright and shiny caught her eyes. It was just a few feet more away from camp and yet Kagome could not resist. What if it was a shard? And even when she released her reiki, she was still unsure of what it could be. The shards seem to always respond to her Miko abilities and yet this item did not. Still, she was curious.  
  
One step.  
  
Two steps.  
  
Three steps closer.  
  
Just as Kagome knelt to pick up the shiny object, something – or rather someone – caught her eye. Was that silver? She wondered but even before she could answer the thought, she is swept up in arms of steel. Her head turned toward her captor as her blue eyes widened in horror as they locked with heated amber.  
  
_Sesshomaru!_ Her mind screamed as she struggled against him.  
  
But it would be of no use. She would find the youkai stronger than she. He bore her away from her camp and her friends weeping as they headed back toward the direction of the Western Lands and that of the House of Moon. The valley below heard her cries and the winds would carry them to her companion, all of whom were racing back to camp to see what the commotion was about.  
  
  
  
  
  
“ _Inuyasha!_ ”  
  
Shippo had heard his mother’s screams and tore away from the camp only to find it too late to reach her. He had seen the terror on her face and even seen the terrifying Lord of the West as he carried her away from them. It had caused the young kit to come to a screeching halt. He had been surprised by these sudden turn of events as he had no idea why Sesshomaru would take his mother. They had been allies with the Lord of the West during the last two years as the group went after Naraku. Sesshomaru had never given an indication of his feelings toward Kagome and yet Shippo realized that they had probably overlooked something.  
  
The little fox furrowed his brows together and wondered what they had missed during those times in his presence. Try as he might, he could find nothing in his memories. _Had the others seen something?_ He wondered.  
  
It was at that single moment that Inuyasha and the others appeared. All of them rushing toward the little fox.  
  
“What happened?” Sango asked wearing her demon-slaying outfit. The massive Hiraikotsu prepared for battle.  
  
“H-he took her!” Shippo whispered unable to contain the fear and tears from falling.  
  
“Who?” Inuyasha demanded pushing his way between Miroku and Sango to look down at the kit.  
  
“Sesshomaru!” Shippo cried.  
  
“Sesshomaru? But why?” Miroku inquired trying to understand why the great daiyoukai would want Kagome for. Had his help in defeating Naraku been a ploy all this time? Had he been bidding his time to regain Tetsusaiga? But that did not make sense to Miroku at all especially since prior to his joining, he had gained a new sword – Bakusaiga.  
  
Sango opened her mouth when she took note that Inuyasha seemed far paler than normal. Did he know something they did not?  
  
“Inuyasha?” Sango whispered placing a comforting hand upon his shoulder.  
  
“I never thought – I did not believe –“Inuyasha mumbled.  
  
Three pairs of eyes all focused on him trying to figure out what exactly he knew.  
  
“Inuyasha, if you know something, you need to tell us,” Miroku said softly hoping to gain the information he knew that would help them to understand why Sesshomaru would focus on Kagome.  
  
Inuyasha looked at the three of them and sat down on the ground. For a moment, the others remained standing but when Inuyasha offered no further information, they decided that what he may have to say would take some time.  
  
And time was not they had if they wanted to rescue Kagome from his brother.  
  
  
  
  
  
With sheets wrapped tightly around her body, Kagome stood before the bedroom window and glanced out to the courtyard of the House of Moon. It had been only hours ago that she had been taken away from her friends and mated to Sesshomaru. She had not gone to their marital bed willing and that was fine with her new mate. He saw her disobedience as nothing more than motivation to fuck her into submission. She had lost count how many times she had screamed his name.  
  
For a moment, she closed her eyes and thought she was dreaming but the bite at the meeting between her shoulder and throat flared to life, reminding her that it was not a dream and that she truly was mated to the fearsome Lord of the West, Sesshomaru.  
  
She did not know where all of _**this**_ came from. She had been wanting to inquire of how this came to be but when she had awakened, he had been gone and she had been here alone in their marital room since. She turned away from the window to look for her clothes but found the shredded pieces all over. Any hopes of escape were dashed – at least for now.  
  
She could only hope that Inu-tachi came soon.

* * *

  
Chapter End


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “As Shippo pointed out, each branch of youkai belongs to a certain God,” Inuyasha explained glancing at the two humans in his group. “My father had the ability to create two different fangs – Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga. While one fang can kill, the other can give life back.” He paused to see if any of them were catching on to what he was saying. “Only one God has the ability to take life and offer life back.”
> 
> Sango stiffened. “Hades,” she whispered remembering a conversation between herself and Kagome just three weeks ago. “In Greek Mythology, he was the Lord of the Dead. Kagome said that he fell in love with a young woman named Persephone and kidnapped her. While she was in the Underworld, her mother, Demeter, caused all sorts of havoc upon the people of Earth. The story goes on that Persephone was retrieved from the Underworld, but she ate something from down below and she would spend six months above with her Mom and six months below with him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I should be working on To Find You Again but my muse won't leave this story alone until I finish it. I think I may have one chapter left before it all ends. >> Anyway, I thought I would post this before I prepare for bed and work later on this evening. :D There will be more stories for this pairing to come soon.
> 
> Hopefully, that is after I finish up To Find You Again but don't hold your breath.

**In the Shadows of Silver**

**By Utena**

**Chapter Two**

The Inu-tachi knew time was of the essence, but they sat down and waited for Inuyasha to explain what he had been trying to.

“You know the lore of Youkai, don’t you?” Inuyasha inquired turning his amber-colored gaze upon the three members of the group. He did not expect Shippo to know much of it seeing as he had only been a young kit when his parents were brutally slain by the Thunder Brothers. Still, he could not help but wonder if his parents ever offered any sort of lore or history to his kind.

The young kit furrowed his brows together in thought and was the first to speak, “Momma once said that we were created the Gods. Each branch of youkai belonging to a certain God.”

 _Then he had been informed_ , Inuyasha thought surprised. Nevertheless, he nodded his head at the kit. The other two – Sango and Miroku – looked at each other and he could see that this was new information to them.

“As Shippo pointed out, each branch of youkai belongs to a certain God,” Inuyasha explained glancing at the two humans in his group. “My father had the ability to create two different fangs – _Tetsusaiga_ _and Tenseiga_. While one fang can kill, the other can give life back.” He paused to see if any of them were catching on to what he was saying. “Only one God has the ability to take life and offer life back.”

Sango stiffened. “Hades,” she whispered remembering a conversation between herself and Kagome just three weeks ago. “In Greek Mythology, he was the Lord of the Dead. Kagome said that he fell in love with a young woman named Persephone and kidnapped her. While she was in the Underworld, her mother, Demeter, caused all sorts of havoc upon the people of Earth. The story goes on that Persephone was retrieved from the Underworld, but she ate something from down below and she would spend six months above with her Mom and six months below with him.”

“According to youkai lore, my bloodline comes from this particular God,” Inuyasha said crossing his arms over his chest. “If my intuitions are correct, my bastard brother has gone to retrieve the fruit that would completely bind Kagome to him. While mating binds a couple together, the fruit will make the mating permanent. If Kagome eats anything given to her by him, she will not be able to go anywhere. It ties her not only to the Western Lands but to Sesshomaru.”

“Is that why you would never allow us to eat anything whenever we crossed into your brother’s territory?” Miroku asked taking in the information that Inuyasha had so willingly provided to them. All of it was starting to make sense now.

Inuyasha nodded. “Why do you think I allowed Kagome to return home all those times before we stepped onto his lands? I knew the moment any of us ate anything we would be tied to him and I – I did not want to explain this – **_all this_** – at the time. Now I wish I had especially to Kagome.”

“So, did you know about Sesshomaru’s interest in Kagome?” Sango queried curiously.

Inuyasha ran his hand through his silver hair and sighed, “I suspected something a little after the bastard joined our group. He may have had the same agenda as we did, but I do not believe he did it just to help. Sesshomaru does not do something without reason and I suspected it was meant to get close to not only Kagome but to know our inner workings by observation.”

“What about that little girl, Rin?” Shippo asked having an unsettling feeling about this.

“My sentiments are that he used her to see how exactly Kagome would react to having children and she played perfectly into my brother’s claws.”

“So, he used her and Shippo both?” Sango was trying to wrap her head around all of it.

“But Sesshomaru should have already known how Kagome was with kids,” Miroku argued. “I mean, on the countless of times we have crossed paths with him, he should have known Kagome always placed herself in front of Shippo to keep him protected.”

“Maybe he wanted to make sure that she could handle two pups,” Sango considered, tapping her chin in thought. “In both youkai and human upper-class societies, there would be an heir and a spare to carry out the legacy of the family name. But part of me wonders if Sesshomaru was using this to imagine them as a mated couple with children.”

“Feh,” Inuyasha snorted, “I would not put it past the bastard.”

He rose to his feet and glanced toward the direction of the Western Lands.

“We need to get going. My bastard brother is not going to wait for us to get there before he decides to use the fruit to bind them together – _permanently_ ,” Inuyasha said moving quickly to pack up the camp and grabbing the yellow backpack Kagome always carried around.

The others followed and gathered the rest of the things from the camp. Once everything was gathered, the group set off to the West.

Sesshomaru set himself down and passed through the barrier that protected the fruit he had come for, but his steps halted when he found a beautiful young woman seated beneath the tree. Her long, auburn-colored hair had been drawn back from her face and braided. Above her perfectly sculpted brow was a crown of various flowers that he knew bloomed only during the Spring and Summer months. The long blue-grey gown she wore had an empire-style waist and covered her feet. In her lap was a baby deer asleep and unseeingly enjoying the careful and loving touch her slender fingers brought as they moved across the fur.

“Good eve, my young lord Sesshomaru,” the beautiful woman greeted lifting her emerald-green eyes to him.

Briefly, his eyes widened before they narrowed again. He had never met this woman before and yet she seemed to know his name. He sniffed the air and found that although the woman looked Ningen, she had not the scent of death upon her. Her scent was _earthy_ with the fragrant of flowers.

“Not much of a talker are you, young lording,” the woman remarked thoughtfully. A smile tugged on the corners of her mouth. “Nevertheless, allow me to introduce myself – I am Persephone.”

The name seemed foreign as he tested in his mind. It was a name he had never heard among his travels throughout Nippon. There was something about this woman that he could not put his finger on. She did not exclude power and if she did, she seemed to have it closely hidden. He would have considered her a threat and annihilated her instantly.

He watched the fruit he had come for pull itself from the tree and float down to land upon Persephone’s outstretched hand.

“I believe you have come for this,” she said waiting for him to take it from her. “You should hurry along now and enjoy the fruit with your mate.”

Sesshomaru took the blue pomegranate from her hand and turned to walk back out of the barrier, but her next words caused him to pause just briefly, “Hurry along, young lord, your brother and his pack has departed and have set their sights upon retrieving your young bride from you.”

With her warning in his head, the young Lord of the Western Lands took off for the Western Lands.

“Persephone,” a growl came from her left.

“Ah, my lord husband,” she greeted remaining in her place beneath the tree and continued to pet the baby deer in her lap, “I was wondering when you would appear.”

“You are not supposed to interfere,” he admonished removing the invisible helmet from his head and appearing before her. His dark hair messy had plastered to his face.

“Who says I cannot?” She challenged. “I seem to recall the many times you did so to the young lord’s father by offering some life-giving magic to his fang.”

Hades narrowed his eyes at his wife. “I was given permission by Gaia herself to do so.”

“I am sure Gaia would not mind if I interfered this once,” she returned looking up at him. “Besides, did you not want your favorite to be happy? I mean, if you don’t, I will give help to the daiyoukai’s half-brother and allow him a chance to gain footing before your favorite makes it to his home.”

Hades said nothing but he kept his glare upon his wife.

“Then, I see no reason for the complaint against my interference,” she replied seeing that she had won the argument.

“Enjoy your freedom for the time being, _wife_ ,” Hades growled, “because there will be none when you return home come the Autumn.”

At his threat, Persephone shivered but her smile widened at the implications. “And I look forward to being taught those **_lessons_** , my husband.”

With her clothes nothing short of a lost cause and her yellow bag still with the Inu-Tachi, Kagome opted to go through her husband’s collection of yukatas. At the far end, there were several female editions of yukatas. She picked out a beautiful white yukata done in almost the same honeycomb pattern of her husband’s kimono. Once she was clothed, Kagome moved to a small dressing table and picked up the brush and started to pull her hair back up. It was during this time that her mate finally decided to appear.

“Mate,” he greeted pausing in the doorway of their marital room to take in everything about her.

“Sesshomaru,” she returned angrily, placing the brush down and turning around to face him. “You want to tell me why you kidnapped and mated me as you did.”

He seemed to pause for a moment and offered, “I warned you, _Ka-go-me_ , that I would have you before I left the pack.”

“You could have warned me, you know,” she stated folding her arms over her chest and kept her glare upon her mate. “Everyone must be worried about me.”

He knew they would, and he was certain that his brother was not so far away from the Shiro. He had to act quickly before their arrival. He moved to her and gently touched her face with his claws.

“Come, mate,” he whispered in her ear, taking her hand to lead her out of their room and toward the private doors of the family garden. “I’m sure you must be starved, and I brought fruit for us to share.”

Her stomach growled reminding her that she had not eaten since her arrival here in the Shiro. Her face flushed in embarrassment and Sesshomaru smirked knowing that it would not be hard to get her to eat the fruit with him.

Once they were outside, he led her to one of the trees and took his seat, pulling her down onto his lap. He nuzzled lovingly against where he had marked her causing her to gasp softly.

“Forgive me for being short-sighted,” he whispered softly.

“What is done is done,” she answered softly cupping his face. “I just don’t know how we are going to explain this to the rest of them.”

“Rin won’t matter. She has been hoping for a mother-figure for some time,” he told her lifting his head and reaching for the fruit hidden within the sleeve of his kimono.

Kagome’s eyes widened at the blue fruit. She had never seen anything so _blue_ before. Well, not the color of this blue. It was almost sapphire-blue in color. She watched her mate pull the fruit open in half. The seed-like inside reminded her of another fruit, but she could not remember exactly which one it was.

She watched as he pulled to pieces out and fed her one and took the other. Then his lips fell upon her own. The juices of the two pieces mingling together between them. For Kagome, it was the most erotic thing in the world. With each piece, his lips would descend upon hers, sharing the juice between them.

But there was something _weird_ – would that be the best way for her to describe it? – about the fruit. The mating bond between them seemed to be strengthened as was the bond to her mate’s lands. She could almost feel the lands flowing through her body.

She wanted to inquire what was happening to her – _to them_ – with this fruit but the next sounds they heard were ones that Sesshomaru knew were coming:

SESSHOMARU, YOU BASTARD!” The hanyou yelled brandishing Tetsusaiga in front of him. He was itching to teach a lesson to his older brother.

“Half-breed,” Sesshomaru greeted unhappily. He had hoped to have the entire fruit eaten before her friends had appeared, but for him, half was better than nothing.

“Release Kagome,” Inuyasha growled glancing between his brother and the Miko.

It was then Inuyasha saw the unholy smile grace his brother’s lips as both he and Kagome rose from underneath the tree.

“You are too late, little brother.”

* * *

**End Chapter**


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Congratulations on your mating, my lady!” the little flea seemed quite thrilled that his late master’s eldest son had taken a chance on having a human mate and even more thrilled that it had been Kagome. He may have loved the idea of Inuyasha and Kagome in the past, but he knew Touga’s younger son had never gotten over Kikyo and probably never would. Thus, he believed that Sesshomaru would have been the best match for a Miko of Kagome’s caliber.
> 
> “You may want to hold onto your congratulations,” the young priestess said sadly.
> 
> “What has caused such thoughts, my dear Lady of the West?” Myoga did not like the troubling look upon her face. This should have been quite a happier occasion between the two of them and he glanced over at his lord’s eldest son. Although the others – including the newest Lady of the West, Myoga could see the last of the threads the young master was trying to keep ahold of. Inu youkais were not known to handle any sort of rejection well especially after mating had occurred. Many of them often died from rejection or sought suicide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can see my Muse is determined to finish this one story up before we even tackle To Find You Again. oO I am going to surmise that there is one chapter left that will wrap up this entire thing. I don't know when this chapter will be out. I am hoping to have it out the next time I am off which won't be until Thursday. I am sure it will be worked on, but no idea if a release will be then.
> 
> Anyway, do enjoy it!

**In the Shadows of Silver**

**By Utena**

**Chapter Three**

Following the trail of the young master Inuyasha, Myoga the youkai flea had learned recently of the location of the last shards. He could not wait to divulge this information and finally have the Shikon no Tama completed. Finally, his young master would be able to settle down with the young Miko from the future. He had always hoped that, by now, that Inuyasha had finally gotten over his obsession with Kikyo and look to having a future with the Kagome….

That was until he heard the mention of his late master’s older son, Sesshomaru uttered from the lips of a group of inuyoukai gathered just outside the border of the Western Lands. He had not expected to be out this far especially since he knew Inuyasha had no love for his older brother and the feeling seemed to be mutual on Sesshomaru’s end as well. It had even surprised the old flea youkai that Sesshomaru had joined the group to help to eliminate the spider hanyou, Naraku. He had always suspected that after years of trying to gain the power of Tetsusaiga, Sesshomaru had decided that it would be better to teach the boy how to wield it, even if his training was going to a bit on the harsh side.

Still, Myoga felt that Sesshomaru may have gained some sort of grudgingly respect for his younger brother. The two, he knew, would never get along nor have any brotherly affection for each other.

“Ah, I heard a rumor of the great Lord of West,” one of the inuyoukai announced picking up his cup of sake and taking a sip of it. “A rumor that we should be celebrating, if true.”

The other two in the traveling group looked over surprised that any rumor about the Lord of the West had been allowed to spread surprised them.

“So, tell,” one of the two encouraged picking up the bottle of sake and filling his cup up with it.

Myoga paused and shifted closer to the group quietly. He was curious as to what rumor they had heard about Sesshomaru.

“Our great Lord of the West has mated,” the first one boasted puffing up his chest pleased.

“Mated!?” the two cried out in unison, surprise coloring their words. They looked at each other and waited for the “fooled you!” to follow but it never came, and they realized their friend was not kidding about this.

 _Mated!?_ Came the same surprise reaction from the flea. Certainly, this had to be a joke. His late lord’s older son never seemed to be interested in any female nor seemed to be interested in ever settling down. What female youkai had finally managed to snag the young lord? And did Inuyasha know of this?

Myoga was about to take off when the first inuyoukai spoke again.

“Ah, mated,” the youkai remarked. “Rumor has it that the female chosen is **_human_**.” The last word had been spoken in disgust. He had never thought that the human-hating inuyoukai would ever have considered a human female to mate with.

Myoga almost fainted. _Sesshomaru. Female human. Mated_. This was too much for the older flea that he had to wonder if he had not fallen down the well and landed in some opposite world. Surely, Inuyasha would know about this.

With one quick jump, Myoga was once more headed in the direction of where Inuyasha and his group were going and Myoga realized that the route would take them straight into the lair of Sesshomaru.

“SESSHOMARU!” Inuyasha growled furiously upon seeing Kagome and his brother lounging beneath a tree. He could also see the fruit in his brother’s hand, opened and several seeds missing from inside. He could feel his heart drop to his stomach and knew what the implications now were – they had been too late. Kagome now belonged to his brother fully. “Kagome, how could you!?”

Kagome’s face lit up with confusion. She had no idea what her friend was even talking about. All she had done was simply seated herself comfortably on the lap of her mate and shared a delicious fruit with him.

“What? That I am mated to Sesshomaru?” She inquired narrowing her eyes at him. He needed to get over himself. She had given him time so long ago to open his heart to her and he did not. Sesshomaru offered her the world and so much more than a girl could want. She knew he did not understand love in the sense that humans did, but he was willing to learn if it meant she would be his. The two brothers were such a stark contrast to each other.

But something was telling her that Inuyasha had been hiding something – something particularly important that had to do with her mating to his brother. Hell, she was certain both were hiding something by the looks that were passing between the two. She could only conclude that it had to be something that would probably make her mad at both.

“What are two hiding?” She demanded stepping away from her mate and looking at the two.

“Keh,” Inuyasha snorted waiting to see if his brother would be the first to buckle beneath the pressure, but it seemed his half-brother was made of much stronger stuff than he. “I see the Icicle Prince has left a few things out before he mated you.”

There was a low, angry growl now coming from behind Kagome and she whirled on her mate. Those beautiful sapphire blue eyes narrowing at him.

“Is there something you want to say, Sesshomaru?” She dared him, placing her hands on her hips and waited for her mate to say something, but Sesshomaru held firm. His once-golden eyes were beginning to bleed red. “Don’t you dare!”

It was a sight to see especially to the Inu-Tachi who was watching her shake an angry finger at the imposing figure of the demon lord. All of them held a collective breath as they waited for him to explode but the warning in Kagome’s tone seemed to force her mate to heel – at least for the moment.

“Now,” she growled looking at both angrily, “who wants to begin?”

Miroku stepped forward knowing Inuyasha was too afraid to offer any information. “Kagome-sama, did you eat any food from these lands?”

Kagome frowned. “Of course,” she said, “I was brought up a plate of cooked meat while Sesshomaru was gone.”

“Well, there is your answer, Inuyasha,” Miroku stated glancing at the hanyou.

“Do you remember the mythological tale you spoke of some weeks ago?” Sango was next to speak looking at her friend.

“You mean the one of Hades and Persephone and the changing of seasons?” Kagome was trying to understand exactly what all this had to do with her current predicament. Her mind filtered with the tale of the Lord of the Underworld and his chosen bride and at that moment, she knew. Sesshomaru had been Hades and she Persephone. “The fruit we shared – it ties them together as the mating did, does it not?”

Sesshomaru saw no point in lying to her that he nodded his head.

“I cannot leave you, can I?” The words came out in a harsh, knowing whisper.

It was at this moment Myoga, who had been journeying across the lands of the West quickly, decided to appear. His anger rising as he hopped up onto his young master’s shoulders and bit down for a drink of blood.

Inuyasha yelped and smacked his hand against his neck causing Myoga to flatten and float down.

“Myoga,” Inuyasha growled at the interruption. The show before him was getting good. His elder half-brother was about to get the smackdown of a lifetime from Kagome and he had ringside seats, dammit! It had been waiting for this moment for the longest time. He may not have been the one to do it, but Kagome was just the better person to do it. “Can you not see we are busy, right now?”

“Hello, Inuyasha-sama!” the little flea greeted. “I came to inquire of a rumor I heard of Kagome-sama and Sesshomaru-sama mating.”

“Well,” Inuyasha began and directed the flea to the couple in front of them, “you might want to watch the show. K’gome is not happy with asshole right now.”

“May I inquire what has happened?” Myoga asked confused.

“Kagome-sama has learned that Sesshomaru did some underhanded tactics when he mated her,” Sango supplied.

“So, the rumor was true,” Myoga said more to himself than anything. He looked up at the Taijiya. “What exactly to the young lord do this time?”

“He left much out before they mated,” Miroku added tightening his hold on his staff because he knew that an angry inu daiyoukai was very dangerous when they were rejected by their mate, but somehow he did not believe that Kagome would completely abandon her mating to him.

“Does this have something to do with the fruit of the West?” Myoga asked rubbing his chin in thought. He did not give them a chance to answer as he bounded over to where the couple stood at an impasse, staring at each other as if waiting for some answer to appear. “Kagome-sama!”

The sound of her name broke the silence between herself and Sesshomaru as the little flea hopped up onto her shoulder and into her cupped hand.

“Congratulations on your mating, my lady!” the little flea seemed quite thrilled that his late master’s eldest son had taken a chance on having a human mate and even more thrilled that it had been Kagome. He may have loved the idea of Inuyasha and Kagome in the past, but he knew Touga’s younger son had never gotten over Kikyo and probably never would. Thus, he believed that Sesshomaru would have been the best match for a Miko of Kagome’s caliber.

“You may want to hold onto your congratulations,” the young priestess said sadly.

“What has caused such thoughts, my dear Lady of the West?” Myoga did not like the troubling look upon her face. This should have been quite a happier occasion between the two of them and he glanced over at his lord’s eldest son. Although the others – including the newest Lady of the West, Myoga could see the last of the threads the young master was trying to keep ahold of. Inu youkais were not known to handle any sort of rejection well especially after mating had occurred. Many of them often died from rejection or sought suicide.

“Myoga,” she began looking at the flea youkai and hoped he would help her to understand the situation much more since neither Sesshomaru nor even Inuyasha was going to do so, “they are hiding something from me and it has to do with the mythology of Hades and Persephone.”

“Ah the mythological tale of a young Spring Goddess and the God of the Underworld,” Myoga reminisced. “Since you probably already know the tale, I suppose I could offer further insight into what all this ties into.”

Kagome moved away from her mate and took herself and the flea youkai over to where the water fountain was. Sitting upon the lip, she looked down at Myoga and waited for him to tell his tale.

“As you probably may know, Gaia created the youkais. She gifted each branch of youkai to a select few of Gods. The rulers of the West were gifted to Hades, Lord of the Underworld. The late master, Touga, was a favorite of the Hades and from him, he gave Touga the ability to create the two swords both masters have. Touga had hoped that the young Lord Sesshomaru would learn compassion when he gifted him Tenseiga and Inuyasha’s demon blood would be sealed through the blade of Tetsusaiga.”

“So, the Greek Gods are real?” Kagome looked surprised to hear this.

“Of course, they are!” Myoga answered but he continued, “Because of the devotion of the West to the God of the Underworld, Hades and his lovely bride, Persephone, gifted the rulers with a blue-colored fruit and said that should this fruit be shared to strengthen the bonding between mates.”

“Well,” Inuyasha's voice startled the pair and all eyes turned toward him, “she ate the fruit with the bastard.”

Myoga turned toward Inuyasha and then once more toward Kagome, “Did you, my lady?”

It was Sesshomaru who produced the half-eaten fruit and said, “You won’t be able to leave the Lord’s side now, Kagome-sama. Your mating bond has sealed itself completely.”

“Wait a minute,” Inuyasha growled looking at the fruit more closely and grabbing it out of the hand of his brother’s. “She ate half! It means she can leave him and return to fully finishing up collecting the shards we are missing.”

Myoga shook his head. “It is not that simple, Inuyasha-sama. Even with half the fruit eaten, the bond is still going to form. To pull Kagome-sama away from Sesshomaru-sama will cause many problems.”

“Like hell, it will!” The hanyou snarled at the youkai flea as his golden eyes narrowed upon his elder bastard of a half-brother. “Kagome's obligation is to find the rest of the shards and fulfill her role of Miko to the Shikon no Tama. He cannot interfere with that!”

“You don’t understand, young master,” the flea warned. “If you take her away while their bond is forming, you –“

“My beast will hunt you down and destroy you for daring to take what is mine away,” Sesshomaru finished for the flea. He flashed his fangs at his hated half-brother. “This Sesshomaru needs to be near my mate for the bond between us to complete.”

“So, what happens now?” Sango asked what was now on everyone’s mind.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	5. The Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well,” the little flea began as he moved closer to Inuyasha with the hopes the hanyou would protect him from his eldest brother, “maybe you could do as Hades has allowed Persephone – six months of the year searching for the shards and the other six months with you.”
> 
> Apparently, that seemed to be the wrong answer for Myoga as he could see Sesshomaru’s eyes darken and his claws begin to leak the toxic poison. The poor little flea had no choice but to flee for his life with the daiyoukai hot on his heels.
> 
> Inuyasha and Miroku glanced at each other and shrugged. Myoga was on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter of this story. I am not fond of the ending and I may come back to it later on and rewrite it. But now, it is time to return to To Find You Again and finish that one. :D
> 
> By the way, I am in no way done with this pairing. There are other stories planned. One - I will be expanding the one-shots of The Invitation and A Dangerous Game into an untitled story. Unfortunately, it won't be coming any time in the future (okay, okay that is if Musie decides it has to be written when she says so). I am going to do a lot of fleshing out that idea for the next few weeks and see what I can come up.

**In the Shadows of Silver**

**By Utena**

**Chapter Four**

_So, what happens now?_

The question may have been on everyone’s mind, but it was plaguing the mind of Sesshomaru. He may have the ability to school his handsome, but deep within him – and that of his beast – was a deep-seated fear that he could lose the only human woman he had ever loved. He was not willing to let her go. No, he would dismantle the entire planet to have her back at his side.

But he would wait.

He would wait until Myoga told her everything and let her have the final decision. He knew she would not entirely listen to the half-breed. No, it was not Kagome’s style. She would be mad, of course, but it would be expected from her, but at the end of it all, she would forgive him – _hopefully_.

“Well,” Myoga regarded as all eyes were once more upon him, “even with the fruit unfinished, there still needs to be an allowance for the bond to strengthen. This would mean that Kagome-sama’s mission for the Shikon no Tama must be put aside.”

Inuyasha was marching over and grabbing the flea from Kagome’s hand and flattening him. “If we wait for this damn bond to finish, the shards will be even harder to get ahold of,” he growled. “She has a duty that needs to be fulfilled. My bastard brother can do without her for a few months.”

“Ack!” Myoga groaned slipping out of the younger master’s fingers and back into Kagome’s hand.

“Inuyasha,” Kagome hissed preparing to say that single word that would cause him to feel pain and lots of it.

Inuyasha’s ears flattened and he glared at Kagome. “Keh,” he grumbled and moved back once more to stand with the others.

“You keep speaking of ‘strengthening the bond’, Myoga-san,” Sango spoke up returning to the conversation to the problem at hand. She looked over at Kagome and the speck in her cupped hand again.

“Ah yes, that,” Myoga chuckled nervously as he looked once more to Kagome and Sesshomaru. “Would you please release your reiki and youki?”

The mated pair looked at each other and did as they were asked. Myoga could see the swirling masses of youki and reiki dance against each other as the two sought to form something stronger…more powerful. Myoga could see shades of gold within their depths and knew that the bonding process was nearing completion. He had to admit, even if it was to himself, that seeing such a complimenting pair of youki and reiki was amazing. He was certain he would never see something like this again.

Myoga shook his head and glanced once more at the audience before him. “As you can see, they are bonding – completing each other. Shards of gold are mixing and eventually the color will become permanent. Kagome-sama and Sesshomaru-sama will be able to feel each other even miles away and share each other’s power.” There is a small pause before he offered the downside of such shared boding, “Unfortunately, should one die before the other, the one left will either go insane or die. It will depend on how powerful the bond does become, and we won’t know the answer to that until it happens.”

“Well, this is a setback,” Miroku sighed unsure of how they would proceed in seeking the final pieces of Shikon no Tama. Looking over at the daiyoukai, he knew Sesshomaru was not going to allow Inuyasha to place his mate in danger especially since their bond was still forming…still strengthening and Inuyasha – well, he knew that the hanyou would pitch a fit over even the thought of his hated half-brother being allowed to join their search. This was going to be an impasse.

“Kagome has a duty,” Inuyasha stubbornly bit out again. He gripped the hilt of Tetsusaiga and narrowed his golden eyes at his brother. “You are not welcome to join.”

Kagome, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the whole exchange from Myoga, decided now was the time to intervene before Sesshomaru and Inuyasha started butting heads and ruining the beauty of the Shiro. She hated to see the place under construction simply because her mate and brother-in-law could not find a compromise.

“Inuyasha,” she quietly said but there was a slight warning in her tone that told her hanyou friend that there would be no room for argument, “if Myoga believes that I should remain close to my mate for our bond to complete, then I will take the advice given. Besides, Sesshomaru and I have much to discuss over this.”

“But –“Inuyasha began. Then, wisely decided it was not worth arguing over with her. “Fine, wench, but you need to hurry with this whole mess so we can finish up our work.”

Kagome smiled at her brother-in-law and rose to her feet. “Then, it is settled. Sango, why don’t you and Shippo join me on a tour of the Shiro.”

And with that as the ending of the conversation, Myoga hopped over onto Inuyasha’s shoulder and watched the women depart from the group. He still could not believe that the eldest of his late master’s progeny had mated and to a _human_ no less! This was something he was sure that would be within the youkai books in years to come.

“Perhaps,” Myoga began nervously looking at both inu brothers, “you both could compromise over Kagome-sama and her journey for the shards.”

Sesshomaru narrowed his amber-colored eyes at his late sire’s retainer. “And what compromise do you suggest?”

Myoga gulped. There was a tone in Sesshomaru’s words that warned that offering the wrong compromise could easily end in his death.

“Well,” the little flea began as he moved closer to Inuyasha with the hopes the hanyou would protect him from his eldest brother, “maybe you could do as Hades has allowed Persephone – six months of the year searching for the shards and the other six months with you.”

That seemed to be the wrong answer for Myoga as he could see Sesshomaru’s eyes darken and his claws begin to leak the toxic poison. The poor little flea had no choice but to flee for his life with the daiyoukai hot on his heels.

Inuyasha and Miroku glanced at each other and shrugged. Myoga was on his own.

Lachesis glanced over at Gaia, who had been watching the whole thing from the viewing cauldron. She could see the proud look flittering across her beautiful face. It was rare to see the eldest of the Titan Gods to ever appear especially to any of them but she surmised that the occasion of this lesson had drawn her from her sleep and she too had become wrapped up in the drama from the Western Lands.

At Gaia’s side stood the Lord and Lady of the Underworld – Hades and Persephone, both had come to see how the story would finally end. Much like Gaia, it was a rare event to see Hades leave his domain, but he had been too invested in the youkai of the Western Lands and how each of their stories would be played out.

“I believe I am due some credit here,” Lachesis crowed glancing at the three Gods.

“Oh, you do, my dear girl,” Gaia remarked proudly. “I must say by entwining their fates together simply to teach a lesson was quite the fete. I would have never thought of it. My dear boy finally learned to love. I hope his sire is proud.”

“I will summon him upon my return to the Underworld and tell him the news,” Hades promised and then glanced at the youngest Fate, “Thank you. My favorite was given a boon that was needed. He has served this one faithfully and by giving him his equal, you gave him quite the reward.”

Lachesis bristled at Hades. She would not call what she did a boon. She called it revenge. The little brat had spat upon his late sire’s heart and did nothing to offer help. She wanted the boy to understand that love was not a weakness, but a strength and he had eventually discovered this when he had joined the group.

“Lachesis,” Persephone’s soft voice drew the child-like Fate’s eyes back to her, “you accomplished something big. Be proud that your interference gave you such rewards.”

And Lachesis did.

**Six Months Later –**

Kagome picked up the shard from among the carcass of the defeated dragon youkai and purified it in her hand. They had managed to find two pieces since Sesshomaru had allowed her to depart from the Western Lands. He had even gone as far as to compromise with her, allowing her time to gather what shards she could before her return. She still could not fathom what led to such a compromise with him. Had it been their talk that evening when they had retired to their quarters?

No, she could believe that. Sesshomaru had been reluctant to even give his permission to let her go. He had been quite vehement about keeping her near him.

It was not until Inuyasha told her that Myoga had suggested that it be considered the Persephone route – six months shard hunting and six months with him in between.

“How many more shards left?” Kagome inquired placing the shard piece in the glass container with the others.

“About two more,” Inuyasha answered hefting Tetsusaiga over his shoulder. He sniffed the air and drew back his lips in disgust. “Kagome, the bastard is not too far away. I suppose we should go to meet him.”

A smile tugged on her lips. She gathered her dingy yellow backpack and gathered Shippo in her arms. The poor kit had been exhausted from their fight and had lost all will to continue forward. She knew he had done enough trying to keep her safe, but now it was her turn to offer her arms to allow him some rest.

As she headed in the direction toward where her mate waited for them, there was a skip in her step and a giddy feeling within her as she hurried down the dirt path.

* * *

**The End**


End file.
